Once Upon A Summer
by xMari-kun
Summary: "Let me guess," Her mischievous grin had surfaced. "Kira kept you up all night?" AXC
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Here's something I thought of during my exams. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing.  
I do not own GS or GSD though I wish I did –who doesn't? So without further ado, I present to you:

Once Upon A Summer

Chapter One

~ Cagalli ~

Cagalli slouched in the passenger seat of her private jet wondering why on earth her twin brother and her father hated her so much.

It was the only thing that could explain why she was on a plane back to Tokyo to not only spend one month with her twin –that she could handle- but also a bunch of chauvinistic political geeks of bachelors- of which one of them, hopefully, would be able to tame and coexist with the lioness.

When she was young, she had been told tales of how princes and princesses in the past had been engaged. How they fell in love and lived happily ever after. She had witnessed enough divorces to know how much these tales were true. How she wished that what she was going to go through was as simple as them. Her father just had to arrange a modern day matchmaking session. She had considered the thought about marriage before and she hadn't detested the idea at all. But she wanted to take things at her own pace, not to have some third wheel in the picture.

She sighed as she flipped through the month's schedule. Her first week in Tokyo would be vacant and the subsequent three weeks would be filled with appointments with those bachelors with poles up their asses. She wondered, if they valued their jobs and responsibilities so highly, then why it so hard to fly themselves in to Osaka instead of her taking time off and flying to Tokyo? She _was_ the one they were intending to woo, after all. So why should they make the VIP go through all the trouble? She was positively sure that those business magazines had done enough publicizing that she was about the most passionate businesswoman in the world. So why then? Simply because her dad said so.

"_Cagalli, we have to play our role as good hosts here."_

She snorted at the remembrance of her father's words. As if having her father against her wasn't bad enough -her twin brother, Kira, just had to join in. She had been rather grateful to him when he had learnt of the plan since he objected vehemently to the idea. But then he got talked around - and within the next few minutes, he had changed his mind. She remembered mouthing 'traitor' to him as he gave her an apologetic smile saying that it wouldn't hurt to get acquainted with the opposite sex once in a while. Oh the nerve of him. Calling the kettle black, wasn't he? He didn't have much experience with girls either.

"_For your information Kira, I've been raised by men and living with men all my life._" She remembered telling him. He countered her saying:

"_Point taken, but use this as an opportunity to enjoy your youth since you only get to enjoy it once in a lifetime. Staying cooped up in an office isn't healthy for someone as young as you."_

She then expressed her frustration in a form of a light smack on his head and Kira knew he had won. Oh lord, why did she allow Kira to talk her into her doom? Deep down, she knew that Kira had been right and he was merely concerned over her wellbeing so she gave up arguing.

"Anything the matter, princess?" her guardian noticed the many expressions she wore on her face.

"I'm fine, Kisaka. I wonder how many times I've told you not to call me 'Princess' and you still keep insisting on doing that." The blonde princess frowned.

"You seem somewhat displeased with the current situation."

"Actually you got it backwards. Trust me, Kisaka. I am _so _excited about this mini summer vacation that Father planned for me." Cagalli rolled her eyes.

"That's good to hear."

"Seriously, Kisaka. Don't you know of the term 'irony' or 'sarcasm'?"

The tanned guardian chuckled. She frowned again.

"Fine, then. Could you please pass me the list of my 'husbands to be'?"

Kisaka wasn't being any fun and the flight was boring her. An hour had passed since they took off from the airport and only another thirty more minutes till they were scheduled to land in Tokyo. A series of snorts and other unladylike noises came out from the blonde princess as she scanned through each candidate's profiles. She couldn't believe that she was going to meet up with this bunch of geeks although each of them had a very promising career. Not to mention some of them looked twice their age. Thank God she had requested for an age limit for the candidates, or she might've been stuck with some old coots.

No, scratch that. She wasn't simply going to meet them and be on her way back to Osaka. That would be a total waste of her precious time. Meeting up implied the act of coming together or an assembly of persons coming together for a specific purpose. She supposed she could live with a small meeting with each of the suitors and maybe a tiny get-to-know-each-other session just to please her father. The words 'small meeting' in Cagalli's dictionary meant about the very most two hours in duration and nothing more. But from the looks of her planner earlier, there wouldn't be any chance of having a 'small meeting' –or so it seemed - since it was almost a whole day affair. She didn't like the idea her father suggested: To bond with the guys. From what she experienced from 'bonding' included males tailing her almost every second and being forced to tolerate their nonsensical antics during dates. As far as she was concerned, she wasn't keen on 'bonding'. She began to think about the other meanings of meeting up and settled on one.

'_Yeah, definitely a hostile encounter.'_

"Miss Athha." Kisaka cleared his throat. "We will be landing shortly. I have arranged for Ahmed to come and pick us up. Is there anything else you would like to be done?"  
The blonde tapped her chin thoughtfully and eventually shook her head.

"It can wait till we get home. I'd like to drive around the city this afternoon."

"Very well, Miss Athha. Need I remind you not to chew off people's heads should they irk you the slightest bit?"

Casting the older man a glance, she snorted.

"I'm not a kid anymore, Kisaka."

"And you're not very becoming of a lady either, Cagalli. What would Mana say if she saw you behaving like this?"

"Wow Kisaka, you're catching up!" She raised her hands in mock praise. "About Mana, she won't have to know of it. Perhaps you have forgotten how much I detest to be reminded about these things, Kisaka."

She frowned. What's with the world and their stereotypical views of all women being ladylike?

"She wouldn't know of it now, but if you keep up that behavior, she'll know in no time."

"Alright, alright. Geez, Kisaka. You shouldn't worry too much. I am fully capable of taking care of myself." She patted him on the shoulder before rising from her seat and exiting the aircraft. "Thanks for making the flight safe, Steve!"

"The pleasure is mine, Miss Athha." The captain bowed in response. "Enjoy your stay in Tokyo."

Kisaka nodded and followed his charge out of the aircraft.

At the landing pad, a tanned boy was patiently waiting for his boss' arrival. Upon seeing Cagalli and Kisaka making their way down the stairs, he ran forward to greet them, unable to contain his excitement any longer.

"Cagalli!"

The blonde looked up to see the Middle-Eastern boy speeding in her direction, showing no signs of slowing down –his arms outstretched. An evil grin was plastered on her face as she began to devise some sort of evil plan. She cast the duffel bag she held aside and crouched low. She watched as his expression immediately changed from excitement to pure confusion. He slowed down into a jog in an attempt to evaluate her actions.

_'Is she…stretching?'_

He picked up his pace once again, anxious to pull her into a hug. Her grin widened when Ahmed had reacted according to her calculations. She stood up, dusting her pants, Ahmed still a few strides away. Just as he was about to pull her into a hug, she surprised him by socking him in the stomach, hard. Ahmed collapsed backwards with a loud 'oof!' Kisaka shook his head and chuckled at the princess' childish display of behavior. The blonde just childishly stuck out her tongue and struck him a victory pose.

"What was that for?!" he cried, wincing at the pain he felt as he gently rubbed his stomach. It was going to form a nice purple bruise.

"A greeting. You've grown incredibly soft since I last saw you, Ahmed!" She jabbed his shoulder unceremoniously as he picked himself off the ground.

"You know, you _could_ have warned me."

"That would've killed all the fun. You're an even bigger killjoy than Kisaka over here." She pouted. "So, where's the car?"

"This way, princess." Ahmed mocked.

She cast him her infamous death glare and stomped hard on his left foot before walking off. Ahmed clutched his left foot in pain as he hopped after her. Kisaka bent over to retrieve the forgotten duffel bag that had been so rudely thrown aside and followed the duo to the car.

~

Silence reigned throughout the journey back to the Athha Manor. When Ahmed pulled over at the porch, Cagalli immediately sprung out of the car, up the stairs and into her room.

"Hey! What's up with you today?" Ahmed called from the car but she had already disappeared behind the door.

"Thanks for the ride, Ahmed. Why don't you take the rest of the day off?" Kisaka said as he patted the boy's shoulder.

"Thank you, Mr. Ledonir." Ahmed nodded gratefully.

Just then, the blonde princess came running out of the house, dressed in casual wear. She ran past Ahmed and Kisaka and slid into her red Audi A5 cabriolet.

"Cagalli, where are you going?" The tanned boy asked.

"I'm going to drop by the college for a bit and give Kira a surprise." She turned on the ignition and drove off, leaving him alone at the driveway.

~Athrun~

Athrun Zala pushed up his glasses as he reviewed his work for the final time before handing it to his professor.

"Done already, Mr Zala?" He heard his professor say.

"Yes, Professor La Fllaga."

"Well, run along now. I wouldn't want Professor Ramius to have my head for holding you back." The blonde professor shuddered at the thought.

"Are you sure you aren't doing it to get into her good books, Professor?" Athrun laughed as he dodged the flying marker sent towards his direction.

"Kids these days, they're so terribly cheeky."

"Oh? Now whose fault would that be now, professor?" The navy-haired lad grinned. "I really wonder."

"Some guts you've got there Mr Zala. I suggest you scram now or else I'll make your report suffer." He threatened.

"Alright, I'll better be off now." Athrun waved at the older male. "And about making my report suffer, you wouldn't dare."

"There's always a first for everything, my boy!"  
Athrun nodded and turned to leave when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around to find the source, but was faced with his other professor.

"Mr Zala, I thought you'd never come!"

"I was just about to go, Professor Ramius." Athrun said smoothly. "But Professor La Fllaga here needs my help as well."

"Is that so, Professor?" The brunette professor turned to face her colleague.

"Ah yes, yes.." The blonde professor buried his head in stacks of papers to avoid having eye contact with her. Sometimes, it was so nerve wrecking to be under her watchful gaze.

"So you won't mind if I whisk away your top student now, would you?"

"No, not at all. _Please _have him." He pleaded.

"You make me sound like I'm a menace, Professor." Athrun pretended to be hurt.

"You're such a _darling_, Professor." Murrue rolled her eyes and tugged on Athrun's olive shirt. "If you would excuse us, I am a busy woman."

"So, what did you need help with Professor?" Athrun closed the door behind him and trailed after her.

"I need you to help me carry some of those boxes to the laboratory in the new block. I'm running late for a meeting at the moment, so I won't be able to help you." She gestured to the earth colored boxes that were neatly stacked against the wall with the words 'FRAGILE' printed in bold across. Athrun nodded in response and she thanked him before disappearing behind the door.

"Time to get you to your new home," He said, eyeing the boxes with a sigh.

Kicking the door open, Athrun made his way towards the new block. He could barely see where he was heading to since the boxes that he cradled were towering over his figure. He had tripped at the stairs –he had missed a step- which allowed one of the boxes to be launched into the air. He gasped in horror and quickly set down the rest of the boxes on the ground, before making a mad dive for the box that seemed to be descending in slow motion. He felt a wave of relief wash over him when he managed to prevent the box from falling.

'_Lucky save!_'

Just then, someone else had tripped over the boxes on the floor, which resulted in her falling down the steps and landing on her bottom.

"Damn, that hurt." She had barely enough time to reverse her position to avoid kissing the ground first.

Athrun craned his neck to check on the person who had fallen down and was now awkwardly seated on the ground, rubbing her sore bottom. Placing the boxes in an area he deemed safe, he walked up to the lady to apologize.

"Are you alright, Miss? I'm sorry about the boxes, I was trying to –"

"It's alright. I survived, didn't I?" She flashed him a smile which made his heart skip a beat. "But geez, who places boxes on the stairs anyway?" She dusted her pants as she stood up.

"That would be me…" He grinned sheepishly at her.

She gave him a weird look before she burst out laughing.

"You're kind of weird you know that?"

"You're not the only one who told me that today." He frowned, his brows creased.

"I mean in a good way. Uh, sorry about your equipment." She pointed to the box that was furthest away.

Following her finger, he quickly scrambled towards the box and opened the lid to reveal a broken microscope.

"No worries, it's just that my doom approaches." He gave her a gloomy look.

"Doom? _Trust_ _me_; you have yet to experience doom." She rolled her eyes at him. "Anyway, I'll take responsibility for the broken microscope."

"I can't let you do that. It was my fault for placing them on the steps, which caused you to fall."

_'Great. You've just lost your chance of getting out of this mess. Real smooth, Zala.' _ He thought. Why did he always have to be the quintessential gentlemen? When the situation was almost dire. He mentally slapped himself for his stupidity.

"True, but it was I that kicked it down the steps. So it's my responsibility."

"I already said it's fine. Thanks for the offer though."

"I'm paying for it and that's final. If there's one thing you should know about me, it's the fact that I hate owing people." She argued crossing her arms.

"If you insist. So to whom do I owe the pleasure of thanking?" He mocked a bow.

She laughed at his silly antics.

"So you do admit that you needed help with the replacement of the equipment?"

He sighed as he regained his posture. "Alright, maybe a little. But since you insisted, who I am to reject such an offer?"

"You're not only weird but sly as well, Mr., "She paused for his name.

"Zala. Athrun Zala." He offered, his right hand outstretched. "Just call me Athrun though."

"First name basis already, aren't we?" She gave him a firm handshake.

"Since I already know one thing about you, it's only fair if I told you one as well." He smiled.

"Don't tell me you hate owing people, as well?"

"I do. But that's not counted is it? Since you established that."

"True, so what is it then Mr. Zala?" She teased.

"Quit it with all the formalities. I detest those. It makes me feel like there's a wall between us." He frowned at her. "So would you give me the honor of knowing your name?"

She paused as if she was contemplating whether or not to tell the truth. Finally she looked up and replied him, "It's Cagalli."

"No last name?"

"Are last names needed in the code of friendship?" She arched an eyebrow, as if daring him to contradict her.

"No," He smiled."Leaving out the last name makes you who you are."

"I like the way you think, Athrun. I think of it that way too."

"It's great to have someone to share the same views as you do." He nodded in agreement.

"If we do meet again, I hope we become good friends," She smiled. "Summer would be fun that way."

"Indeed."

They bid each other goodbye and Athrun resumed his journey across the campus. He stood there cradling the remaining boxes as he watched her disappear around the corner of the Engineering Department. Turning around and walking off in the opposite direction, Athrun felt a smile tugging at his lips. He thought about the blonde and his upcoming summer vacation –and the emerald eyed man found himself looking forward to it.

'_Summer wouldn't be as bad as I thought it to be.'_

So, how was it? I'd like to receive some feedback from the reviewers. If you have any questions, I'll gladly answer them. Please tell me how you felt about this chapter, I'd like to know. Criticisms are welcome as usual. So please, review!

Thanks for your support!

xMari-kun


	2. Chapter 2

Title: **Once Upon A Summer  
**Series: Gundam SEED/ SEED Destiny  
Characters/Pairings: One sided Ahmed, Yunna, Meer; Athrun x Cagalli; Kira x Lacus; implied Dearka x Miriallia, Yzak x Shiho  
Rating: PG  
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters.

A/N: Sorry for the long wait! I hope this is much better.

* * *

Chapter 2

~Athrun~

Athrun sat at his desk listening to his Professor's lecture while simultaneously doing his best to ignore the whispering gossipers around him. Everyone had lost interest in the content of the lecture the moment the clock struck five. Who could blame them? After all, it _was_ the last day of the term. It was something that Athrun had dreaded for a few years now.

He found himself straining his ears to pick up all the important points mentioned by the Professor as the lesson went on. The bunch of girls that were seated on his left had started chatting about their extravagantly planned summer vacations that their daddy dearest had organized for them. While the guys seated on the right couldn't stop staring at the girls on the left and they talked amongst themselves in hushed voices. He massaged his temples and brought his attention back to his coffee haired Professor, who was pacing around the teacher's desk with a mug of strong black coffee in his right hand.

The bell had rung, signaling the end of the class. Students poured out of the lecture theatres and flooded the hallway with victory shouts and cheers for having survived yet another term in college. Not that life was hard in college –it all boiled down to prioritizing, a skill that most of the students lacked. Athrun grabbed his books, bade his Professor goodbye, and made a beeline for the car park. He stole a glance at his watch. It read five-thirty pm. He sighed and ran his fingers through his silky blue locks. It was only this morning that he had learned of the dinner that Kira had planned for their friends that night. Why hadn't Kira told him sooner? He pictured Kira apologizing with a sheepish grin, 'It must have slipped my mind…'

Out of the corner of his eye, Athrun spotted a tuff of pink hidden behind a pillar. Then a blonde one came into the picture. A redhead had mysteriously appeared behind the pillar as well. He'd known they would follow him. They always did. Especially all the girl freshies. That was the thing with girls: The more he declined their requests –politely with his ultimate gentlemanly trait- the more they wanted him. Had these girls so much time to spare to stalk him? This was partially the reason why he didn't have any particular interest in the female population ever since he entered the second year of high school. He didn't even have a girlfriend to begin with. Not even one. Rumors begin to spread that Athrun Zala could be and was possibly, gay.

Of course, the rumors had been extinguished as fast as they had been spread –courtesy of the Athrun Zala fan club. They just couldn't accept the fact that their sexy as hell, bespectacled idol would turn out to be gay. Evidence about the matter had yet to be found, and none would be found. Simply because, he just _wasn't_ attracted to them. Predictable. That's what they were. Being predictable wasn't something Athrun was looking for. Sure, dating someone predictable would make his life a whole lot easier. He would be able to preamp what she would say, do or act. But where was the fun in that? That struck him as boring. He wanted to experience the thrill of the unknown.

_Something unpredictable, _He thought. _Some adventure in my life._

"OH LOOK! IT'S ATHRUN!" A redhead announced, unable to contain her excitement any longer.

"ATHRUN? WHERE?!"

"ATHRUN THERE!"

"ATHRUN ZALA SPOTTED AT COORDINATES X: 23 Y: 145! BLOCK B'S CARPARK!"

"ATHRUN! WE TOTALLY ADORE YOUR NERD LOOK!"

Athrun cringed at their high-pitched squeals. He knew he had to act fast or risk being disfigured, crippled, maybe even paralyzed or severely traumatized by the stampede of shrieking banshees in the form of teenage hormonal women. He hastily unlocked the door of his car, slid in and drove off. Among the herd of banshees was the leader of the Athrun Zala fan club, Meer Campbell. She ran after his convertible and screamed after him. The sleek convertible careened around the corner and zoomed out of sight. Meer leaned over, clutching her knees for support as she panted heavily.

"B-BUT ATHRUN! WE HAVEN'T MADE AN APPOINTMENT FOR SUMMER YET!"

Delusional? _Absolutely._

Oh, but that didn't deter Meer Campbell. She hailed a cab and told the driver to follow Athrun's car. It was a Friday evening. And like every Friday evening, traffic could be pretty congested in the city area. The taxi driver had lost sight of Athrun's black convertible in the midst of the jam. Frustrated and still determined, Meer stepped out of the cab and decided to navigate her way around the area, hoping to spot Athrun amongst the crowd.

-~-~-

The navy haired lad turned back to see if that particular cab was still tailing him. He had very well in mind known who that person could've been. There was only one person ridiculously delusional enough to do that. The highest honor completed with title had been reserved for one. Athrun shuddered at the thought and walked to the restaurant where Kira had told him to meet them. He looked up at the neon sign that flashed above his head to make sure that he had gotten the correct address and peered through the glass. His emerald orbs scanned through the sea of people seated comfortably inside. Sure enough, he saw Lacus waving at him, beckoning him to come in. He nodded and entered the cottage-like restaurant.

"Ah, so Prince Zala has decided to grace us with his presence." The platinum blonde said, earning himself a nudge in the ribs.

"Be nice, Yzak!" the brunette hissed.

"It's nice to have you here, Athrun." Lacus greeted him with a smile, ignoring the arguing pair seated on the far left. Athrun smiled and greeted the rest before taking his seat. They kept each other updated with what was going on in their lives. They all laughed at how Dearka was shitting bricks when Miriallia had brought him to meet her parents. Dearka's tanned face visibly reddened until it resembled a half cooked piece of steak. Even Yzak and Shiho had stopped bickering and laughed at him. The tanned blonde wanted to dig himself a hole and hide in it to spare himself further embarrassment. When the chance to save his reputation presented itself, he automatically seized the opportunity to avert the spot light to someone else.

"S-So Kira, who are we waiting for?"Said the terribly flustered Dearka.

"Is someone else supposed to be here?" He said eyeing the vacant space and extra set of cutlery on Kira's right, next to Miriallia.

"Yeah, but she hasn't arrived yet…" He sighed. "I wonder what's keeping her."

~Cagalli~

"Honey bunch!"

The blonde lioness felt chills going down her spine as she tried to walk away briskly. It didn't take a genius to figure out who was stalking her. A toddler could even identify the strange purple haired creature trailing after her. She regretted accepting the ride from her date earlier that day. He had left the restaurant in quite a hurry -not without apologizing for not being able to see her home- and she just smiled knowingly. She had been fine with the idea of taking a slow stroll home, for the restaurant was no more than a few blocks away from the manor. She had it all planned out: A slow stroll home, followed by a short refreshing shower. She would slip into more comfortable clothes –plain tank top and Capris, she supposed before making her way to wherever Kira had planned for them to meet up.

"Thou fairest maiden, should thou wait for thee?"

But it was all ruined now. _Who _would've known or predicted this miserably poetic ape's appearance and arrival? She felt like vanishing into thin air to escape this horrendous encounter. In addition, she made a mental note to herself to personally increase this oddly colored haired Shakespeare imposter of the twenty-first century.

Hold that thought right there. To be given the honor of being worthy enough to be even recognized as the great father of Literature himself? And to _that _purple fur ball? Thatwould be as good as blaspheming for those who dedicate their lives to such a high society subject. She frowned at the thought. She had been quite fond of the subject, but wasn't as crazy as her subject teacher in middle school who told the entire class that Literature was a 'godly' subject only offered to intelligent people. To think she had given the stalker that much credit.

Suddenly a bouquet of assorted flowers was placed in front of her face. The blonde jumped back, startled by the sudden motion. She looked up angrily at the owner.

"Yunna!" She accused angrily. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

The said man just gave her a wide smile that made her want to send a knuckle sandwich through his pearly white teeth.

"I'm here to pick you up for our date, of course!" Another toothy grin. She resisted the urge to knock them out.

"What date?" She narrowed her eyes at the creature before her, who was smiling away like an idiot.

"You forgot about it?" Yunna had a look of hurt in his eyes. "You even arranged it!"

_Well yes, I'd forget about it. _She thought. _Who'd want to go on a date with a goon like yourself?_

"Now, did I? Well, I do beg your pardon then."

Yunna's face brightened visibly. His skin glowed like a pale moon in the night sky.

"I'll forgive you if -"

"Oh, look at the time!" She pointed to her wristwatch with glee."I have to go now. So..bye!"

As soon as she finished her sentence, she turned on her heels and darted down the walkway, blending into the crowd. Yunna followed suit but ended up getting carried away by the crowd. She then came out of her hiding place and sniggered at the sight of Yunna being tossed around. Glancing at her watch, she gasped. It was five minutes past their meeting time and the cottage-like restaurant was a good twenty minute walk from where she was. She was late, and that would make quite a first impression on her. She stuck out her hand as she flagged for a cab.

Just then, a young man sprung out from nowhere and flagged her cab. The cab stopped at the man's feet and he leaned over to open the door. She watched in horror as he climbed into the car reciting the address he was supposed to be at.

_Oh no, you don't._ She thought.

He was about to slam the door shut when she stomped over, pulled it over and dragged the man out.

"Hey! What are you doing?" The man cried.

"I should be the one to ask! I flagged this cab!" The fuming blonde pointed to the yellow vehicle.

"_I_ got to it _first_, so it's _my_ cab." He replied childishly.

"Didn't your mom ever teach you the phrase, 'Ladies first?' "

"You're just slow, that's all. No need to start making excuses. I don't have any more time to waste arguing over such matters."

The young man swatted her hand away and re-entered the cab. This time, he swiftly closed the door and told the driver to get on the move should the blonde lady decide to launch another verbal war. Cagalli gave out a loud cry of frustration, her amber orbs ablaze. Why did such jerks with poles shoved up their asses have to exist on earth?

_I'll just drive the next time. Less encounters with such bastards then._ She made herself a mental note.

She waited for a few minutes before another cab showed up and got on. After a ten minute drive, the driver finally pulled over at the entrance of the restaurant. Fishing into her pockets for some loose change, she handed the fees to the grateful driver who sent her off with a smile. She stepped out of the cab to inhale the fresh air and pushed open the glass door.

~Lacus~

Their entrées had just been served when Lacus saw a blonde entering the restaurant and scanning the vicinity. She soon realized the lady looking at her but Lacus looked away and returned to her delicious spaghetti with meat balls down in front of her. She looked around her. No one else had seemed to notice the mysterious blonde's presence. When she looked up again, she found the blonde standing behind Kira with her hand raised. She opened her mouth to warn the chocolate haired man, who was happily digging into his plate of beef lasagna, but no words formed on her tongue.

_No! Don't! _She screamed inwardly.

Then it happened.

The blonde had tapped the violet eyed male on his back. He turned to face her with a questioning look in his eyes. The blonde's eyebrow was arched as she eyed him. Kira seemed to freeze up for a moment, as though his brain was registering the sight of the amber eyed woman before him. He blinked at her and hastily grabbed his serviette to wipe his ketchup stained mouth. He stood up abruptly, kissed each other's cheeks, and then engulfed her in a hug. At that moment, everyone else seemed to have ceased stuffing their faces with food and looked up at Kira and the unidentified blonde.

"Where were you? I was getting worried."

"Purple ape and some stupid jackass of a cab stealer prevented me from coming here earlier."

"What? When I get my hands on him…" Kira's eyes flashed dangerously.

She cringed inwardly at the amount of care and concern that he expressed towards this stranger. He had hugged the blonde and kissed her cheek affectionately. Was she the one who was to be introduced to the group? From what Kira had said, it would be a girl. So could she be the one? Who was she? To have gathered the whole group here, did Kira have something big to announce? Lacus could hear her heart's loud and fast thumping rhythm in her ears and she was most sure that everyone else present at the table could hear it if they leaned close enough. She closed her eyes and took deep breaths to calm herself. When her eyelids fluttered open once more, she found a pair of amber eyes scrutinizing her. She jerked back her head in shock and covered her tomato red face with her palms.

"Is she going to be alright, Kira?"

"She's just shy."

"Hmm…" She cast Lacus a worried look, not quite buying the answer provided.

"Everyone, I'm fine. I was just… a little startled, I guess." Lacus gave everyone a reassuring smile.

"That's good to hear. Well then, everyone must be wondering who this is." Kira smiled back at Lacus and she felt butterflies in her stomach.

"How rude! How dare you call your older sister 'this'!" The blonde huffed at choice of his words.

"Sister?" The table chorused.

"How dare you not tell your best friend that you _have_ a sister!"

"I thought Kira was the only child type."

"He'll probably say it slipped his mind, as usual."

Amidst all the chaos, Lacus felt her heart soar. So she still had a chance! She felt so embarrassed at her earlier behavior that her face became flushed again.

"Hey, you alright? You seem to blush a lot."

Lacus blushed harder at the comment.

"Yes, I'm fine. I'm Lacus Clyne." She extended her hand for a handshake.

"Yes, I know." The blonde enclosed her hand around hers and shook it firmly. "I'm Cagalli by the way."

"Nice to meet you, Miss Cagalli."

"Oh please, just call me Cagalli. I'm not that old. Besides, I think we're pretty much around the same age."

"Oh, alright…" Lacus' face failed to mask her confusion.

"Kira and I...We're twins." The blonde grinned."So, from the looks of it, I haven't been mentioned to you guys. I wonder _why_…"

The older twin stared at the younger one evilly. Kira gulped and averted his gaze over to the guys that were still mad at him for not telling them.

"Nope. I'm sure-"Lacus started.

"-it must have slipped his mind. Isn't it the most common excuse that Kira gives?"

Lacus chuckled at the blonde's comment and introduced her to the other girls present at the table. Miriallia had grown terribly excited when she found out who Cagalli was. The auburn haired woman wanted to broadcast to the world who she was but Cagalli pleaded with her _not _to expose her. Cagalli was surprised to see Athrun's presence and went forward to talk to him a little. Kira's eyes narrowed to slits as he watched the couple talking to each other comfortably, as if they had known each other for a long time. Cagalli caught him staring at them. She then excused herself and went to grind her knuckles into Kira's temples. Kira pleaded for mercy but she would show none until a few minutes later, when she had finally given up. The chocolate haired man gingerly massaged his bruised temples as he was forced to listen to his sister ramble on about his embarrassing moments in his childhood days. Kira hid his face in his napkin while the others continued to laugh on. Soon enough, everyone else's face color matched that of Kira's due to hard laughter. After many more rounds of laughter and drinks, the dinner came to end. They were the only ones left in the restaurant.

The twins squabbled over who should foot the bill, and as usual, Cagalli emerged victorious in the end. Raising her hand, she motioned for the waiter to come. Lacus stifled a gasp when she saw the name that was embossed on the card the blonde had given. Cagalli brought a finger to her lips and winked at her. Lacus smiled and did a gesture to show that her lips were sealed. The blonde just laughed at her after that.

And this was how their summer began.

-~-~-

* * *

There you have it. The second chapter! I hope it's good enough. Questions and criticisms are welcomed. As requested, I have taken Lacus' role of being a main character into consideration. But I might be a little OC. I apologize for that as well. I tried to make Cagalli a little bit more Cagalli-ish with her scolding, cursing and all. Two stalkers have been introduced and there's a little more to come. I'll appreciate all reviews!

Thanks for reading and for your support!

xMari-kun


	3. Chapter 3 Part I

Series: Gundam SEED/ SEED Destiny

Characters/Pairings: One sided Ahmed, Yunna, Meer; Athrun x Cagalli; Kira x Lacus; implied Dearka x Miriallia, Yzak x Shiho

Rating: PG

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters.

This fic is solely concentrating on AxC. Anything else would be a bonus for you and a miracle for me depending on how much inspiration I get. Reason being, I don't have enough creativity to think of other interactions outside this couple aside from some typical conversations and actions. So, the last time I typed a fic was over 2 years ago and I apologise, college life has totally zapped my brain juices. Inspiration is close to nothing –re-watching episodes doesn't help much either. Without further ado, the really _long _anticipated Chapter 3 Part I.

* * *

Chapter Three Part I

~Cagalli~

The lioness laid sprawled on her queen size bed, a contented smile gracing her flawless features. Her smile was replaced with a slight frown when she felt something warm and wet lapping at her hand. Groaning, she pulled the covers over herself and curled into a ball ignoring the cute bundle of fur that was trying to wake her up. The canine let out a series of barks hoping to wake its master up but soon stopped when she realized that she wasn't getting any sort of response from her master. Having picked up the stubborn streak that her master possessed, the puppy started tugging on the sheets.

"Mm...five more minutes, Gin." The blonde murmured, one hand blindly waving the other still tightly clutching the covers. In one swift motion, Cagalli pulled the covers over her, earning a yelp from the golden puppy, who landed on her bottom. Still refusing to give in, Ginger pounced onto her master's bed, making the blonde grunt in disapproval and annoyance.

"Alright, Ginger. I'm up! Mommy's up!" Then uttering a string of curses, she abruptly sat up and ruffled her blonde mane, startling the energetic puppy.

Picking up the puppy she held it to her face and asked, "Ahmed sent you here, didn't he girl?" Ginger just licked contentedly at her nose indicating a big 'yes'.

Suddenly the door to Cagalli's room swung open to reveal a certain emerald eyed boy (whom she had every desire to kill right now)with a big smile plastered on his face, his left hand waving Ginger's favourite chicken flavoured dog snack.

"Good job, gi- "

Cagalli had carelessly flung her bedroom slipper at his dark handsome face.

"Oh sorry, I thought there was a mosquito there," She smiled at him sweetly."You were saying?"

"A-Ah, it's nothing...Was just looking around for Ginger..."

"Really," she drawled, absent-mindedly playing with her golden locks. "Care to tell me the time, _Ahmed_?"

"9 am?"

"EXACTLY. It's friggin' **9** in the **MORNING**. A _lovely_ **SATURDAY MORNING**." The tic on her temple was growing larger by the second. "_Please_ explain yourself."

"I-I..uh.." Desperately searching for someone or something to come to his rescue, his face fell when he realized that his only hope had escaped together with the doggy treat that he held, only now that it was missing. Cagalli tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for the tanned boy; red shoe mark imprinted on his face, to come up with a damn good reason for rousing her from her glorious beauty sleep.

As soon as Ahmed opened his mouth to give her the reason she so persistently sought for, Cagalli's phone went off.

'Saved by the phone. Thank you whoever you are!'

He heaved a sigh of relief, which earned him another glare from the already cranky blonde. Still eyeing him, she grabbed her phone off the side table and flipped it open. Pressing it to her ear, she signalled him out of her room to which he was more than happy to comply.

"Hello?"

~Athrun~

"Get up, Athrun!"

Grunt.

Poke.

Grunt.

Poke.

Growl.

Sigh.

The brunette slipped under the covers and turned to face his semi-grumpy house mate. Athrun upon realizing that the attempts had stopped, turned around only to be greeted by a pair of mischievous amethyst orbs, a wide grin plastered on the owner's face.

Silence.

He blinked several times before his face contorted in horror and absolute disgust.

"KIRA! WHAT THE HELL?"

The brunette promptly burst into laughter and tears at the split second expressions his friend made.

Scowling, Athrun kicked him off the bed and buried his head in his pillow, trying to forget the embarrassingly horrifying moment that he had just experienced moments ago. "Go away, Kira!"

"You didn't have to kick me off the bed, you know." he said, rubbing his now red nose. "Now get up."

"I'll tell Lacus that you're gay and no."

"You wouldn't dare."

"Try me." An emerald eye peeped out from under the covers.

"Sure." Kira peeled the covers off him and tossed them aside. Releasing a cry of frustration from his lips, he sat up and eyed the grinning brunette with nothing but pure irritation.

"I hate you."

"Can't say the feeling's mutual but I can't exactly say I love you either." Kira's grin widened.

"Is Cagalli coming?"

"Yes, and -" Stealing a glance at his wristwatch, Kira visibly paled. "OH MY GOD SHE'S COMING!"

"And we've just established that so..?"

"Athrun! Don't just stand there! Get changed!" Throwing his clothes at him, Kira ruffled his hair in an attempt to soothe his nerves. "And make it quick! Or I'll be..."

Kira's words died down into a series of incoherent murmurs.

"You're not having any menstrual cramps now, are you?"

"Very funny, Athrun. Shouldn't you be asking yourself first?"

Completely unfazed and unenthusiastic, he threw the said blunette a sarcastic glare.

"Well someone's being a bitch early in the morning..."

Resisting the urge to roll his amethyst orbs at his best friend -a plausible reason which would cause him Cagalli's wrath-, he promptly threw Athrun out of the apartment.

~Kira~

"Glad you could make it, Cagalli!" Lacus ran over to the blonde and engulfed her in a big bear hug.

"Sure, although it would've been nice if I had been informed earlier." The blonde smiled at Lacus and shot him a glare when she wasn't looking.

"Well then, let's go find a spot and get started!" Dearka was the first to make a move, walking in the direction of several bikini-clad women.

"This way, Buster!" An incredibly mad Miriallia stomped towards the lavender-eyed blonde and dragged him away by the ear. Shiho sighed at the scene while Yzak swatted Dearka's head with the picnic mat and shouted, "Moron!"

"Kira." She started.

"Cagalli, I.."

"Before you start embarrassing yourself in front of everybody by kneeling on the floor and begging for forgiveness," Kira could fell his cheeks heating up at the attention he was getting from his friends. "I'm not mad at you."

"What?" He blinked stupidly, closely resembling an owl. A very confused one at that. A mixture of shock and relief washed over his face.

"What?" she repeated, a cute pout forming on her lips. "Don't look at me like that or I'll really get mad."

It was Kira's turn to pout.

"You're so mean, Cagalli!" He cried, imitating his twin's pout. "You know I'll give in to you if you do that."

Childishly sticking out her tongue at him, she took off, leaving a very amused Athrun and a practically grinning from ear to ear Kira behind.

"Quite a handful isn't she?"

Athrun nodded in agreement, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"And you can't help but love her for it."

Flashing his best friend a blinding grin - the type that said 'I'm so proud of my sister'- he ran off after the giggling blonde.

~Athrun~

_Sexy._

It was the first word that had come to mind when he tried to describe her. Sexy was a rather vague term to describe the childish blonde: sexy women were everywhere –including those that were sending flirtatious signals at him. Sexy, yet repulsive. High-pitched squeals erupted as he ran his fingers through his silky blue locks and gave the girls who were ogling at him a small smile.

Returning to the scene at hand, he watched in mild amusement as the twins wrestled playfully in the sand. Kira had her pinned to the ground and she looked a less than happy. Producing a small smirk, she caught the younger twin off guard and flipped him over. He laughed at their childish display but soon stopped when she turned to look at him, curiosity reflected in her eyes. Catching her gaze, he muttered curses under his breath and immediately turned away, face flushed.

He didn't know what had gotten into him –making him harbour such thoughts about his best friend's sister, but having a really good view of her killer- I mean nicely toned legs didn't really help much either. The firmness of her gastrocnemius(1) muscles were further accentuated when he saw her sitting –but trying not to rest her entire weight- on Kira who sighed at his defeat. For a really young and successful businesswoman, she had _very_ nice calf muscles.

'_Stop looking- no, __**staring**__ at her like she's a piece of meat, Zala.'_

He groaned, burying his face into his hands, trying to keep his mind in check. Clearly the heat was affecting his brain. When he finally looked up, he found a pair of amber orbs scrutinizing him. He jumped back in reflex, startled by the sudden intrusion.

"People don't come to the beach just to read you know." She eyed the engineering book that lay untouched on the picnic mat. "Besides, you've never even opened the book. Not having any fun?"

Not caring that there was a perfectly healthy young male beside her, Cagalli stripped herself off her clothes to reveal the plain black bikini that she wore underneath. Athrun, who felt blood rushing to his cheeks, quickly turned the other way.

Damn. Sexy was an understatement. She was more than that. She was,

_Undeniably sexy as hell._

'_Really now, Zala. Undeniably sexy as hell is the best you can come up with? What happened to your vocabulary, eh?' _He mentally snorted.

"I-I'm just a little sleep deprived, I guess."The blush was still very evident on his cheeks as he took a drink out of his water tumbler.

"Let me guess," Her mischievous grin had surfaced. "Kira kept you up all night?"

Upon hearing words that sounded wrong on so many levels, Athrun spewed out the contents in his mouth and coughed hard. He frowned when he found her rolling on the mat, roaring with laughter.

"I don't need any more people questioning my sexuality, thank you very much." He frowned. She had yet to cease her melodious laughter –according to Athrun- and the evidence on her face was more than enough.

"Alright, that was pretty mean of me. But," she got up, hauled him to his feet and pinched his cheeks. "I just can't help it."

"Cagalli," he called. Her name had a nice ring to it when he said it."Do you know how to swim?"

"Yes, "She paused hesitant of his motives. "Why?"

"Good." He gave her a huge grin and before she knew it, she was over his shoulder and headed towards the sea.

"OH MY G- PUT ME DOWN NOW, ATHRUN!"

"There's always a first time, _Princess."_

"DON'T YOU DARE DROP –"

* * *

(1)The gastrocnemius muscle is the muscle that people commonly refer to as the calf muscle. The one that looks solid when you flex your legs muscles.

E.g. Running, jumping, cycling etc.

Since it has been awhile since I last attempted a fic or a chapter, I would like some feedback as to how I'm doing. Sorry if this chapter was rather short. I initially planned on releasing a longer chapter but well the ideas are all over the place and I really wanted to publish this half of the chapter first. I think I may have forgotten how I planned this entire fic to be 2 years ago so I shall go about writing it based on what I feel is fitting. I hope I don't stray too much from my original plot. If you have stuck with this habitual hiatus writer since forever, I sincerely apologise and thank you for being patient and a loyal supporter. I hope to update soon, partially depending on your reviews and ideas/questions. Constructive criticisms are welcome. If you're here to flame, I'll actually thank you for it cause you're adding to my review count.

Thanks for your constant support!

LividFenrir


End file.
